Many commercial radio stations are now fully automated. The programming consists of pre-recorded words and/or music which are sent from a remote studio site to a favorably located transmitter. More traditional radio stations are also still in existence, where live programming is generated at a studio site and sent to a remote, favorably located transmitter. Under FCC regulations, monitoring and control of the transmitter must be performed under human supervision. This is true both in the case of automated radio stations and traditional live-broadcast stations. At one time, such transmitter control was performed by an engineer or other operator located at the transmitter site. Presently, however, almost all transmitter monitoring and control is performed remotely. That is, an engineer or other operator is located at a site remote from both the studio and the transmitter. Monitoring of the broadcast signal is simply achieved by having a conventional radio tuned to the broadcast frequency of the station. However, certain transmitter operating parameters must be directly read and, if necessary, adjusted to meet FCC regulations. This monitoring and control is achieved by means of some form of remote control. One example of such remote control is by means of a dial-in telephone control.
Since dial-in systems are representative of the type of remote transmitter control presently used in the radio industry, their operation will be described in some detail. The transmitter site typically includes a dial-in remote control which can be accessed by a conventional telephone. Once a standard telephone connection is made, a password is entered by the operator keying the password on a standard telephone keypad. Once verification of a correct password has occurred, the remote operator can then poll the remote control for certain transmitter operational parameters and also, if necessary, raise or lower those parameters to meet FCC specifications. An example of such a parameter is the power output of the transmitter. In order to read the present power output, the remote operator would press a number on the telephone keypad that has been pre-determined to correspond to power output. Upon the pressing of that key, the remote control at the transmitter is designed to take the reading, and illustratively, to formulate a voice message representative of the power output for transmission to the operator via the telephone connection. Under FCC regulations, the operator must record the power output and other transmitter electrical levels on a periodic basis.
If, upon taking of such readings, it is determined that the plate voltage or other parameter is at an improper level, the dial-in system can also be used to change that level. Typically, the "*" key is programmed to lower whichever transmitter electrical level is selected. Similarly, the "#" is used to raise a level. Thus, in order to raise the plate voltage, the operator would first press the numerical key pre-determined to represent plate voltage, and subsequently, press the "#" key to raise the plate voltage. The remote control at the transmitter site is adapted to raise the plate voltage a certain amount for each time the "#" key is pressed. In this way, the remote operator can both take the required readings of the transmitter and also adjust any levels as necessary.
In addition to monitoring and controlling operational parameters at the transmitter, FCC regulations also require human involvement in broadcast of the emergency broadcast system (EBS) warning. In a typical remote operator situation, the operator monitors both the station for which he is responsible, and a primary EBS station in the geographic area. The primary EBS station is typically notified by the proper governmental authority that an impending natural disaster requires activation of the EBS system. The primary EBS station then performs what will be referred to as an "EBS activation" wherein the station broadcasts the familiar EBS tone followed by a voice message giving warnings about the disaster, or other important information or instructions. In turn, the non-primary stations in the same area are supposed to respond by broadcasting their own EBS tone and voice message. Upon hearing the EBS signal from the primary station, the remote operator of a non-primary EBS station has the option of either recording the primary station's EBS voice message, or of formulating his own.
At this point, the remote operator has the necessary voice message and is ready to initiate an EBS activation. However, since the remote operator is typically remote both from the transmitter and the studio, if any, he has no way to activate the EBS emergency signal nor to place the voice message on the transmitter. Typically, the remote operator must notify other station personnel and direct them to proceed to the studio site and activate the EBS system. In many situations, the two-tone generator for EBS is located at the transmitter. However, the voice message must presently be sent from the studio site where microphones for that purpose are located. Such a procedure is time-consuming since the person who goes to the studio for the purpose of activating EBS and sending out the voice message loses valuable time in travelling to the studio. Further, EBS activation may be necessary at inconvenient times, such as in the middle of the night. Further still, travel to the studio during periods when EBS is necessary may be dangerous due to the prevailing weather conditions or the like which are giving rise to the need for an EBS activation. These delays and inconveniences may result in EBS activation that is untimely. Even worse, EBS activation may not occur at all.